This present invention relates the art of telecommunications, more particularly, to a truly custom telephone.
Telephones are presently available with user-programmable button for speed-dialing purposes. A user first must program an available button to be associated with a telephone number. Then, anytime the user depresses the button, the user-programmed number is dialed without further keypad entries by the user. A drawback to these systems is that the user must program the phone to associate a telephone number with a speed-dial button. Many users are unable or unwilling to program the telephone in this manner, and simply do not use the speed-dial button. Another drawback with telephones including user-programmed speed-dial buttons is that the user must either label the button or generate a separate list in order to remember which button is associated with a particular telephone number. Often, the users do-not label the buttons, and a separate list of speed-dial buttons is inconvenient and may become lost. Clearly, many drawbacks are associated with conventional telephones including user-programmable speed-dial buttons.
Conventional telephones have other deficiencies. Traditionally, people have been able to dial within their own city or region-using a seven digit number without having to always enter xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d plus a ### area code, where # is a digit in the range of 0-9. The advance in technology in the telecommunications field has brought about an drastic increase in the number of people who feel that it is a necessity, or nice luxury, to have a phone, cellular phone, pager, direct Internet line, facsimile, etc. This increase in users has brought about a shortage of seven digit phone numbers in most major cities due to the fact that there is a finite number of seven digit phone numbers available. Therefore, it has been decided to alleviate this problem by-assigning various area codes in the same city/region and making people dial 1 +an area code before at least some calls. This need to dial an area code becomes frustrating, tiresome, and inefficient. The use of area codes is also undesirable, especially if the phone number is mis-dialed. To overcome this problem, this invention sets forth a keypad system for a telecommunications systems which allows a user to depress an area code selector button which sends a signal with a preset xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d +an area code (for example, 1 +###) to the phone circuit as a prefix, so that one or more calls may be made using only a mere seven digit number within the area code corresponding to the selected area code selector button. Therefore, the user would only have to depress one button to dial the 1 +area code prefix, and could then dial the desired seven-digit number, helping make their calling quicker and more efficient.
Unfortunately, known systems do not provide for a telecommunication system with a keypad which allows a user to select one of a plurality of preset area code selector buttons for a city/region which has multiple area codes which must be dialed before the seven digit number can be dialed for outgoing calls. The present invention contemplates a new and improved apparatus and method that overcomes the above-referenced problems and others while providing superior results overall.
In accordance with the present invention, a method of manufacturing a custom telephone for a user before the user has access to the telephone is provided. The method comprises providing a programmable telephone, determining a geographic location in which the telephone is to be used, and determining at least one telephone area code in use in the determined geographic area. For each area code determined to be in use in the determined geographic area, the method includes: (a)programming a memory of the telephone with the area code (which may be defined by a leading xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d plus a three digit code); (b) associating a user-activatable area code selector button on the telephone with the area code programmed in the memory whereby, upon a user selecting the area code selector button, the area code programmed in the memory and associated with the area code selector button is automatically dialed as a prefix to a telephone number dialed by a user using a key pad of the telephone; and, (c) placing area code indicia on the area code selector button indicative of the area code associated with the button.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a custom telephone comprises a processor; a memory operatively connected to the processor that is permanently programmed with at least one area code from a geographic area in which said telephone is to be used; an analog circuit adapted for being connected to an external telephone line; a key paid operatively connected to the processor and adapted for receiving numeric input from a user of the telephone; a DTMF generator operatively coupled between the processor and the analog circuit, the processor adapted for controlling the DTMF circuit to place select DTMF signals on the external telephone line; a handset operatively connected to the analog circuit and adapted for input and input of voice sounds; a switch hook connected to the processor and adapted for detecting when the handset is in use; at least one user-activatable area code selector switch respectively associated with the at least one area code permanently programmed in the memory and operatively connected to the processor whereby, upon a user activating the at least one area code selector switch, the processor accesses said memory to retrieve the associated at least one permanently programmed area code and controls said DTMF generator to output the area code to the analog circuit, with or without a leading xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d digit.
One advantage of the present invention is that it provides a telephone that is truly customized during its manufacture for a particular user and/or for a particular geographic location.
Another advantage of the present invention resides in the provision of a telephone with a keypad is provided with preset area code buttons allowing for quicker and more efficient dialing of numbers requiring an area code.
Still another advantage of the invention is found in the provision of a telephone that includes at least one custom dial button, wherein the telephone has been programmed during its manufacture to dial a specified telephone number when the custom dial button is depressed by an end-user, and wherein the custom dial button is labeled during manufacture of the telephone with indicia as specified by an end-user.
Yet another advantage of the present invention resides in the provision of a new and improved method for manufacturing a telephone that is customized during its manufacture for a particular user located at a select geographic location.
Still other benefits and advantage of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains upon reading and understanding the following specification.